Display of Attachment Based Information within a Messaging System

ABSTRACT

Among other disclosures, a method may include collecting historical data and communication data relating to an attachment provided in a communication. The method may include generating an attachment profile based on the collected historical and communication data. The method may include monitoring user behavior. The method may include determining if the user has made a request to view the attachment profile. The method may include presenting the attachment profile in response to the request.

PRIORITY APPLICATION

This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 60/951,880, filed on Jul. 25, 2007, entitled, “Presentation ofPersonal and Public Data Queried Through Implicit Actions”, the contentsof which are incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The use of electronic communications for exchanging files betweenpersons for both business and personal use has increased substantiallyin recent years. Files and documents can be sent as attachments toelectronic communications to expedite the exchange of information andthe process of revising documents. Not only has the number of filesexchanged increased in recent years, the number of availablecommunication mediums to which files and documents can be attached hasalso increased. In addition to e-mail communications, additional formsof communication to which files and documents can be attached havebecome common in recent years, including instant messaging, socialnetwork messaging and commenting, message board posting, text messaging,and Voice Over Internet Protocol communications.

These additional forms of communication have led to individualsexchanging communications with more people than ever before, which leadsto an even higher increase in the number of communications and filessent and received by an individual.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to collecting and presenting historicalcommunication data and personal data.

In a first aspect, a computer implemented method for generating andpresenting an attachment profile can include collecting historical dataand communication data relating to an attachment provided in acommunication. The method can further include generating an attachmentprofile based on the collected historical and communication data. Themethod can further include monitoring user behavior. The method canfurther include determining if the user has made a request to view theattachment profile. The method can further include presenting theattachment profile in response to the request.

The method can further include tracking mouse movements, mouselocations, keyboard strokes, mouse clicks, or active windows in order todetermine if the user has made an implicit request to view theattachment profile. The method can further include querying multipledisparate information sources to derive the historical data andcommunication data. The method can further include storing theattachment profile in a database external to a system used in making thecommunications. The method can further include identifying one or moreidentifiers for the attachment within a currently open media item andinserting a link in proximity to one or more of the identifiers foraccessing the attachment profile.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows an example e-mail client with a profile side bar.

FIG. 1B shows an example of a profile.

FIG. 1C shows an example of a conversation thread profile.

FIG. 2 shows an example of an attachment profile.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example communication delivery system.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example process 400 for generating anddisplaying an attachment profile.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1A shows an example system 100 for displaying a profile containinginformation about communications to, from, and involving an individual.The system 100 includes an e-mail client 102 which can include an inboxviewing panel 104 and an e-mail viewing panel 106. The e-mail client 102can be a standard stand alone e-mail client such as Microsoft Outlook orEudora. In an alternate implementation the e-mail client 102 can be aweb based e-mail client such as Yahoo! mail or Gmail that is viewedusing a web browser. The e-mail client 102 can allow a user to view alist of e-mails in the inbox viewing panel 104. The user can select ane-mail in the inbox viewing panel 104 causing the e-mail client 102 todisplay the selected e-mail in the e-mail viewing panel 106.

In some implementations, instead of an e-mail client, the system 100 caninclude an instant messaging client, a social network client, a textmessage client, or another communication viewing client. It is to beunderstood that while portions of this description describe systems andmethods involving e-mail communications, these same systems and methodscan be implemented using other forms of communication, including instantmessages, phone calls, text messages, internet message board postings,social network messages or comments, or voice over IP communications.

The e-mail client 102 also includes a profile 108. In the exampledepicted, the profile 108 is displayed as an additional panel within thee-mail client 102 positioned to the right of the inbox viewing panel 104and the e-mail viewing panel 106. This additional panel is sometimesreferred to as a side bar. In some implementations, the profile 108 canbe located at the top, bottom, left side, or any other location withinthe e-mail client 102. In still some implementations, the profile 108can be displayed in a stand alone window, in a pop-up bubble displayedover a portion of the e-mail client 102, or integrated as part of one ofthe other viewing panels displayed by the e-mail client 102. Forexample, a pop up bubble containing a profile 108 can appear when ane-mail is selected in the inbox viewing panel 104, when an e-mailaddress or portion of text in the e-mail viewing panel 106 is selected,or when a mouse icon is moved over an e-mail address, name, icon, orportion of text. In another example, information can be integrated aspart of the body of an e-mail, such as inserting a picture next to aperson's name in the body of an e-mail, or inserting a person's namenext to a phone number in an e-mail or attachment.

The profile 108 can contain information relating to a sender of ane-mail, a recipient of an e-mail, the body of an e-mail, an attachmentto an e-mail, or a person or topic mentioned in an e-mail. In alternateimplementations, the profile 108 can contain information related to asender, recipient, body, attachment or topic of another communicationmedium such as an instant message, a phone call, a text message, aninternet message board, a social network message or comment, or a voiceover IP communication. The user can implicitly request information to bedisplayed in the profile 108 by selecting an e-mail in the inbox viewingpanel 104 or selecting text within a header or body of an e-mail in thee-mail viewing panel 106. In some implementations, the profile caninclude additional information (e.g., derived information such as searchresults derived from a topic mentioned in a communication).

In some implementations, the profile 108 can display information aboutan entity other than a person. For example, a communication may bereceived from an automated system, such as from a travel website,on-line retailer, an advertising service, or a mailing list. The profile108 can display information related to the sender of the communication.For example, if the communication received has been sent from a travelwebsite, information related to the travel website, or othercommunications from the travel website can be displayed. In anotherexample, if the communication received has been sent from an mailinglist, information related to the mailing list, or other communicationsreceived from the mailing list can be displayed. As yet another example,if the communication received has been sent from a business entity,information about the business entity (e.g., address, telephone number,contact person name) can be included in the profile.

For example, the user can select an e-mail 110 in the inbox viewingpanel 104 causing the profile 108 to display information related to asender 112 of the e-mail 110. In another example, the user can select ane-mail address 114 or name of a recipient of the e-mail 110 in order todisplay information related to the recipient in the profile 108. Inanother example, the user can select an attachment to the e-mail 110 inorder to display information related to the attachment in the profile108. In yet another example, the user can select the name of a person, auser name of a person, or a particular topic listed in a header, a body,or an attachment of the e-mail 110 in order to display informationrelated to the person or topic in the profile 108.

In some implementations, the system 100 can determine if the user hasmade an implicit request to view information in the profile 108 bytracking, for example, user input of the form of mouse movements, mouselocations, keyboard strokes, mouse clicks, or active windows. Implicitrequests to view information in the profile 108 can include opening,viewing, reading or writing an e-mail or other communication medium. Forexample, if the user starts to compose an instant message, the profile108 can display information related to the recipient of the instantmessage. In another example, if the user views a social network profile,either within the e-mail client 102 or in a separate web browser, theprofile 108 can display information related to a person associated withthe social network profile.

In some implementations, selecting an e-mail or communication for whicha person is a recipient of the e-mail or communication can cause aprofile 108 for the person to be displayed. For example, selecting ane-mail addressed to Steve Jones can cause a profile for Steve Jones tobe displayed. In some implementations, selecting an e-mail orcommunication on which a person has been copied (for example in a CC orBCC field) can cause a profile 108 for the person to be displayed. Insome implementations, putting a person's e-mail address in the To, CC,or BCC field of an e-mail or communication can cause a profile 108 forthe person to be displayed. In some implementations, hovering a mousecursor or other selection tool over an e-mail where a person is listedin the To, From, CC, or BCC field can cause a profile 108 for the personto be displayed. In some implementations, typing a person's name cancause a profile 108 for the person to be displayed.

In some implementations, selecting a file that was sent or received asan attachment to a communication can cause a profile 108 to be displayedfor a person listed as a recipient or sender of the communication. Forexample, selecting a file with the name “fourthquarterprogress.doc” thatwas received as an attachment to an e-mail from Adam Kempf can cause aprofile for Adam Kempf to be displayed. In some implementations,initiating, receiving, or viewing an instant message conversation with aperson can cause a profile 108 for the person to be displayed.

In some implementations, the system 100 can be linked to a phone (e.g.,voice over IP phone) used by the user. For example, the system 100 caninclude means for detecting when the user makes or receives a phone callor text message using the phone and display information related to arecipient or initiator of the phone call or text message in the profile108. In some implementations, the user can make a specific request toview information in the profile 108 by performing a search for aperson's name or other identifying information. In some implementations,the system 100 can display more than one profile in response to any ofthe above described actions.

In the example depicted in FIG. 1A, the user has selected the e-mail 110in the inbox viewing panel 104 and header information and a portion ofthe body of the e-mail 110 is displayed in the e-mail viewing panel 106.The e-mail 110 was received from the sender 112. The system 100 hasdetermined that the user has made an implicit request to viewinformation related to the sender 112 by selecting the e-mail 110. Inresponse to this implicit request, the system 100 displays in theprofile 108 information related to the sender 112.

In the example, the information displayed in the profile 108 includes ane-mail address 116, a phone number 118, communication statistics 120, acontact network 122, a conversation list 124, and a files exchanged list126. In some implementations, the profile 108 can display additionalcontact information such as name, screen names, social network profilenames, social network profile URLs, physical addresses, website URLs,additional e-mail addresses, or additional telephone numbers.

In the example, the communication statistics 120 include the number ofe-mails received from the sender 112 and the number of e-mails sent tothe sender 112. In some implementations, additional communicationstatistics 120 can be displayed, including times of communications,dates of communications, types of communications, volume ofcommunications, length of communications, or speed of responses. Forexample, a statistic for the average amount of time it takes the sender112 to respond to e-mails sent by the user can be displayed. In anotherexample, the times of day that the sender 112 is most likely to respondto an e-mail or other form of communication can be displayed as acommunication statistic 120. In another example, a statistic can bedisplayed that lists the percentage of communications between the userand the sender 112 that occur using a telephone, the percentage ofcommunications that occur using instant messaging, the percentage ofcommunications that occur using e-mails, or the percentage ofcommunications that occur using a social network website as a percentageof all communications between the user and the sender 112. In anotherexample, the number of communications sent or received on which thesender 112 has been copied can be displayed as a communication statistic120. In another example, the number of communications received by theuser on which the sender 112 has also been listed as a recipient can bedisplayed as a communication statistic 120.

In some implementations, the communication statistics 120 that aredisplayed can be chosen by the user. The user can choose to have adefault set of communication statistics displayed, or the user canselect which individual communication statistics 120 are to bedisplayed. The user can choose to have the same set of communicationstatistics 120 displayed for each profile 108 or the user can choose tohave a different set of communication statistics 120 displayed dependingon which person or topic the currently displayed profile 108 isassociated with.

The contact network 122 displayed in the profile 108 shows a list ofcontacts 128 that are associated with the sender 112. In the exampledepicted, the contacts 128 are shown as e-mail addresses. In someimplementations, the contacts 128 can be listed as names, screen names,nick names, employee numbers, social network profile names, socialnetwork profile URLs, telephone numbers, website URLs, or anycombination of these.

In some implementations, details about a contact 128 can be displayedadjacent to the contact 128 in the contact network 122. These detailscan include time since last communication, last form of communication,frequency of communications, total numbers of communications, or otherrelated data.

The contacts 128 listed in the contact network 122 are contacts that areassociated with the sender 112. The contacts 128 can include recipientsof communications from the sender 112, recipients of communications ofwhich the sender 112 is also a recipient, individuals named in a body orheader of a communication with the sender 112, or individuals named in adocument that is attached to a communication with the sender 112. Forexample, a person who was copied on an e-mail between the user and thesender 112 can be listed as a contact 128 in the contact network 122. Inthe example depicted, the header of the e-mail 110 as shown in thee-mail viewing panel 106 lists all.houston@enron.com as a recipient ofthe e-mail 110. The contact network 122 lists all.houston@enron.com as acontact 128 of the sender 112. In another example, if the user receivesan e-mail from the sender 112 with the subject line “Matt Smith'sbirthday party”, Matt Smith can be listed as a contact 128 in thecontact network 122 even if Matt Smith has never been included in orbeen the recipient of any communications between the user and the sender112. In another example, if the user posts a comment to a social networkprofile page belonging to the sender 112 and a person named Eric Johnsonhas also posted a comment to the social network profile page, or islisted as a friend of the sender 112 on the social network profile page,Eric Johnson can be listed as a contact 128 in the contact network 122.

In some implementations, the contacts 128 listed in the contact network122 can be collected from sources other than communications between theuser and the sender 112. In one implementation, the sender 112 canprovide a list of contacts to the user to include in the contact network122 for the sender 112. The sender 112 can provide the list of contactsto the user through sharing the list of contacts on a shared network, orby sending a communication to the user with, for example, the list ofcontacts in a body of the communication or in an attachment to thecommunication.

In some implementations, the system 100 can collect data from outsidesources in order to determine contacts 128 to be listed in the contactnetwork 122. The system 100 can query various sources to extractinformation on contacts that can be associated with the sender 112 andlisted in the contact network 122. Sources of information that can bequeried to derive contacts associated with the sender 112 can includeweb search engines, people search engines, social networks, personal webpages, telephone directories, scanned business card data or companywebsite profiles.

For example, the system 100 can perform a search of a social networkbased on the sender 112's name, e-mail address, screen names or otherinformation about the sender 112. The system can then identify a profilepage on the social network belonging to the sender 112. Any contactsthat are publicly listed on the social network profile page can belisted in the contact network 122 of the sender 112 even if the user hasnever communicated with the sender 112 using the social network orviewed the profile page of the sender 112 on this social network. Insome implementations, the system 100 can access and extract contactslisted on a private social network profile page belonging to the sender112 if the user has proper access information or authorization to viewthe private social network profile page of the sender 112.

In another example, the system 100 can use a search engine to perform asearch based on the sender 112's name, e-mail address, screen names orother information about the sender 112 in order to identify web pagesthat may contain contacts that can be associated with the sender 112.For example, the system 100 can use a search engine to perform a searchbased on the sender 112's name. If one of the search results returned isfor a blog written by a person named Mark Adams that mentions the sender112, then Mark Adams can be listed as a contact 128 in the contactnetwork 122. In another example, the system 100 can determine that thesender 112 works for the same company as a person who has sent adifferent communication to the user. This person can then be listed as acontact 128 of the sender 112. In some implementations, the system 100can collect data using a peer to peer network.

Information that can be used to collect information about contacts 128or other information displayed in the profile 108 can include e-mailaddresses, names, screen names, social network profile names, phonenumbers, personal website URLs, social network profile URLs, or physicaladdresses.

The contacts 128 displayed in the contact network 122 can be listed inorder based on a ranking system. Criteria used to rank the contacts 128can include total volume of communication, volume of communication overa period of time, length of communications, importance level ofcommunications, types of communications, contents of communications,time of communications; methods by which the contacts 128 weredetermined to be associated with the sender 112, or any combination ofthese. For example, the contacts 128 can be ranked based on the totalnumber of communications between the user and the sender 112 for which acontact is also a recipient of the communication. In another example,the contacts 128 can be ranked based on the number of communicationsbetween the user and the sender 112 for which a contact is also arecipient of the communication over the course of the last three weeks.In another example, the contacts 128 can be ranked based on the numberof communications between the user and a contact for which the sender112 is also a recipient of the communication.

In another example, the contacts 128 can be ranked based on the lengthof communications between the user and the sender 112 for which acontact is also a recipient of the communication with longercommunications being ranked higher than shorter communications. Inanother example, contacts that are listed on communications flagged asurgent or important can be ranked higher than other contacts. In anotherexample, the user can choose to have contacts who mainly communicatewith the user or sender 112 using e-mail ranked higher than contacts whomainly communicate with the user or sender 112 using instant message orsocial networks. In another example, the system 100 can use the contentsof communications involving each contact 128 and the sender 112 todetermine if communications involving the contact 128 and the sender 112are primarily business related or social related communications. Thesystem 100 can then give a higher ranking to contacts associated withbusiness communications than contacts associated with socialcommunications.

In another example, contacts who are associated with more recentcommunications between the user and the sender 112 can be ranked higherthan contacts associated with older communications between the user andthe sender 112. In another example, contacts that have been determinedto be associated with the sender 112 based on e-mail communication canbe ranked higher than contacts that have been determined to beassociated with the sender 112 based on web searches.

In some implementations, each contact 128 listed in the contact network122 can be a link to more information about the contact 128. Forexample, if a contact 128 is clicked on, selected, or interacted with bythe user, a profile containing information about the selected contact128 can be displayed. In another example, the user can hover a mousecursor or other selection tool over a contact 128. This can cause apop-up bubble containing additional information about the contact 128 tobe displayed.

The conversation list 124 can display a list of recent communicationsbetween the user and the sender 112 or involving the user and the sender112. The communications displayed on the conversation list 124 can be alist of past e-mails, text messages, instant messages, telephone calls,social network communications, message board posts or voice over IPcommunications involving the sender 112. In some implementations, theconversation list 124 can be a list of recent conversation threadsinvolving the sender 112. A conversation thread is a series ofcommunications that can be grouped together. For example, a series ofe-mails having the same or similar subjects can be grouped together as aconversation thread. In another example, a group of instant messagesbetween the sender 112 and the user that occurred over a specific periodof time can be grouped together as a conversation thread. For example,if the user sent and received a series of instant messages from thesender 112 over a three hour period earlier in the day, and thatconversation was separated from another series of instant messagesbetween the user and the sender 112 by a period of 2 hours, the instantmessages that were sent and received during that three hour period canbe grouped together as a conversation thread. In another example, aseries of telephone calls between the user and the sender 112 thatoccurred during a set time period can be grouped together as aconversation thread.

The communications or conversation threads displayed in the conversationlist 124 can be listed in order based on a ranking system. In oneimplementation, conversation threads can be listed in order of mostrecent communications to oldest communications. In some implementations,conversation threads can be listed in order of oldest to most recent. Insome implementations, conversation threads can be listed in order ofimportance with conversation threads containing communications marked asurgent being ranked higher than conversation threads with fewercommunications marked urgent or no communications marked urgent. In someimplementations, the system 100 can determine which conversation threadsare work related and which conversation threads are social. Theconversation threads that are work related can then be ranked higherthan the conversation threads that are social. In some implementations,conversation threads can be ranked based on the number of communicationsin the conversation thread.

Communications that are listed in the conversation list can includecommunications initiated by the sender 112, communications for which thesender 112 is a recipient, communications on which the sender 112 hasbeen copied, or communications in which the sender 112 is mentioned.

In the example depicted in FIG. 1A, the conversation list 124 displays alist of recent conversation threads involving the user and the sender112. The conversation threads displayed are for recent e-mailcommunications involving the user and the sender 112. The e-mails ineach conversation thread are grouped by subject. The conversation list124 displays the subject for each conversation thread, the number ofe-mails in each conversation thread, and the amount of time that haspassed since the last communication for this conversation thread wassent or received. In some implementations, additional information can bedisplayed for each conversation thread, including: time and date of thelast communication in the conversation thread, time and date of thefirst communication in the conversation thread, other contacts involvedin the conversation thread, average length of communications in theconversation thread, total number of people involved in the conversationthread, level of importance of the communications in the conversationthread, attachments shared in the conversation thread, calendar eventsrelated to the conversation thread, other forms of communication relatedto the conversation thread, relevant web data, or average response timeof communications in the conversation thread.

In some implementations, the conversation list 124 can display a summaryor the first few lines of the most recent communication for eachconversation list. In some implementations, the conversation list 124can display a summary or the first few lines of the first communicationfor each conversation list. In some implementations, the conversationlist 124 can display a summary or the first few lines of the lastcommunication initiated by the sender 112 for each conversation list.

The files exchanged list 126 displays a list of files that were attachedto communications involving the user and the sender 112. This caninclude communications initiated by the user for which the sender 112was a recipient, communications initiated by the sender 112 for whichthe user was a recipient, or communications initiated by a third partyfor which the sender 112 and the user were both recipients. The filesexchanged list 126 can also include files that were exchanged betweenthe user and the sender 112 without using a communication medium. Forexample, the files exchanged list 126 can include files that weretransferred from the sender 112's network drive to the user's computeror network drive. In another example, the files exchanged list 126 caninclude files that were transferred to the user's computer or networkdrive from an external hard drive, flash drive, or floppy disk belongingto or populated by the sender 112.

The files displayed in the files exchanged list 126 can be listed inorder based on a ranking system. In one implementation, files can belisted in order of most recently received files to least recentlyreceived files. In some implementations, files can be listed in order ofoldest to most recent. In some implementations, files can be listed inorder of importance, with files that were attached to communicationsmarked as urgent being ranked higher than files attached tocommunications that were not marked as urgent. In some implementations,the system 100 can determine which files are work related and whichfiles are personal. The files that are work related can then be rankedhigher than the files that are personal. In some implementations, filescan be ranked based on the size of the files.

In some implementations, files can be ranked in order of most recentlymodified to least recently modified. In some implementations, files canbe ranked based on creation date of the files. In some implementations,files can be ranked based on the authors of the files. In someimplementations, files can be ranked based on recent activity ofcommunication threads associated with the files. For example, a firstfile that was sent as an attachment to a communication in acommunication thread for which the most recent communication occurredtoday can be ranked higher than a second file that was sent as anattachment to a communication in a communication thread for which themost recent communication occurred three days ago, even if the firstfile was sent before the second file.

In some implementations, the files displayed in the files exchanged list126 can be grouped together. The files can be grouped together based onthe subject of the communications to which the files were attached, filename, file title, date of the file, date of the communication, filetype, or subject matter of the file. For example, if a document hasundergone several rounds of revisions, the different versions of thedocument can be grouped together so that the different versions of thedocument can be easily compared to one another. In another example, anumber of files about rain forests can be grouped together since theyall contain related subject matter. In another example, all image filescan be grouped together so that they can be more easily viewed, oreasily put into a slide show. For example, a group of image files can bedisplayed as a slide show and each slide can contain additionalinformation about the image being displayed, such as who sent the image,recipients of the image, the date the image was sent or received, orother information drawn from one or more communications to which theimage was attached.

FIG. 1B shows a profile 130 for a person 132 named “Jen Ertel”. Theprofile 130 for the person 132 can be displayed in response to an actionby a user that indicates either an implicit or direct request to viewthe profile 130 of the person 132. Actions by the user that can causethe profile 130 for the person 132 to be displayed can include viewingor selecting a communication sent by the person 132, viewing orselecting a communication for which the person 132 is listed as arecipient, composing or initiating a communication with the person 132,selecting or clicking on a name, screen name, or e-mail address of theperson 132, or performing a search for information related to the person132.

The profile 130 includes a search bar 134. The search bar 134 can beused to request that information be displayed about a particular person,topic, conversation thread, communication, or file. For example, asearch performed using the search bar 134 and the search string “AllanTate” can result in a profile for a person named Allan Tate beingdisplayed. In another example, a search using the search string“sunday_presentation.ppt” can result in information about a file named“sunday_presentation.ppt” being displayed. In another example, a searchusing the search string “2002 Sales Goals” can result in information tobe displayed regarding communications with the subject “2002 SalesGoals”, containing the phrase “2002 Sales Goals”, or having attachmentsthat contain the phrase “2002 Sales Goals”.

Search criteria that can be used to identify a profile can includenames, screen names, social network profile names, social networkprofile URLs, physical addresses, website URLs, e-mail addresses, e-mailsubject lines, file names, or telephone numbers. For example, a searchusing the search string “allan.tate@example.com” can result in a profilefor a person named “Allan Tate” being displayed. In the example depictedin FIG. 1B, a search for the phone number “(612) 555-1243” may have beenperformed in-order to display the profile 130 for the person 132 named“Jen Ertel”.

The profile 130 can include a title bar 136. The title bar 136 candisplay a name, a nick name, a screen name, a primary e-mail address, orother identifying title for the person 132 so that the user can easilyidentify who the information in the profile 130 is related to.

The profile 130 can also include an image 138. The image 138 can be apicture of the person 132 to help the user more easily identify who theinformation in the profile 130 is related to or to help the useridentify whom he or she is communicating with. For example, if the userreceives an instant message from a person with the screen name“summergirl” the user may not be able to remember who this screen namebelongs to. When the instant message is received, the profile 130 candisplay information about the person with the screen name “summergirl”including a picture of the person as the image 138. This can help theuser to identify whom he or she is communicating with. The image 138 canalso be an image, icon, or picture associated with the person 132. Theimage, icon, or picture can be used to identify the person 132 as abusiness contact, co-worker, friend, social acquaintance, client, orcontractor. For example, all of the profiles 130 for contacts from aparticular company can display a logo for that company. This can helpthe user to quickly identify what relationship he or she has with theseparticular contacts.

The image 138 can be added to the profile 130 by the user, or it can beautomatically extracted from a communication with the person 132 or froma website or profile page belonging to or about the person 132. Forexample, if a social network screen name or URL for the person 132 isknown, an image from the person 132's social network profile page can beextracted and used as the image 138. In another example, if instantmessage communications with the person 132 include an icon thatidentifies the person 132, this instant message icon can be extractedand used as the image 138.

The profile 130 can include communication statistics 140 aboutcommunications involving the person 132. These communication statistics140 can include the statistics as previously described for FIG. 1A. Inthe example shown in FIG. 1B, one of the communication statistics 140displayed is a graph 142 showing what times of day communications arereceived from the person 132 and the relative volume received from theperson 132 at each time of day. This can help the user to determinewhen, or how quickly the person 132 will respond to a new communicationfrom the user. For example, if the user lives in the United States andthe person 132 lives in Germany, most of the communications receivedfrom the person 132 may occur between 5:00 am and 10:00 am of the user'slocal time. The graph 142 can easily display this information so thatthe user can determine when to reasonably expect a response to a recentcommunication from the person 132.

The profile 130 can include contact information 146. The contactinformation 146 displayed can include e-mail addresses, telephonenumbers, screen names, social network profile names, social networkprofile URLs, physical addresses, facsimile numbers, or website URLs.The contact information 146 can be collected from a variety of sourcesincluding communications between the person 132 and the user,communications between the user and other persons, e-mail body text,e-mail meta data, e-mail header information, e-mail attachments, websearch engines, people search engines, social networks, e-mail clients,instant messages, personal web pages, telephone directories, scannedbusiness card data, text messages, picture sharing websites, videosharing websites, profile pages, telephone communications, or customerrelationship management systems. For example, when the user receives ane-mail from a person, that person's e-mail address can be added to thelist of contact information 146 for that person's profile 130. Inanother example, when the user makes a phone call to a person, thatperson's telephone number can be added to the list of contactinformation 146 for that person's profile 130.

In some implementations, contact information 146 can be extracted fromthe body, subject, or meta data of a communication between the user andthe person 132. For example, if the user receives an e-mail from theperson 132 with a signature block at the end that includes a telephonenumber, facsimile number, and screen name for the person 132, thiscontact information can be extracted from the e-mail and added to thelist of contact information 146 for the person 132's profile 130. Inanother example, an e-mail from a person can include an address for theperson in the body of the e-mail or in an attachment to the e-mail, thisaddress can be extracted from the e-mail or attachment and added to thelist of contact information 146 for that person's profile 130. Inanother example, the person 132 can leave a social network post for theuser telling the user the person 132's instant message screen name, thisscreen name can be added to the list of contact information 146 for theperson 132's profile 130.

In some implementations, contact information 146 for the person 132 canbe extracted from a communication from a third party. For example, theuser can receive an e-mail from Bill that contains the text “Mary's cellphone number is 608-555-5353”. This phone number can be extracted fromBill's e-mail and added to the list of contact information 146 forMary's profile 130. In another example, the user can receive an e-mailwith an attachment that contains a list of telephone numbers, e-mailaddresses, and office numbers for everyone in the user's office. Thetelephone number, e-mail address, and office number for each personlisted on the attachment can be extracted and added to the list ofcontact information 146 for the profiles 130 of each person listed onthe attachment.

Contact information 146 can be extracted from multiple sources,including multiple e-mail clients, multiple web mail systems, multipleinstant message clients, multiple telephone numbers, multiple socialnetworks, or multiple web pages.

In some implementations, contact information 146 can be collected usingsearch engines, telephone directories, or people search engines. Searchcriteria can include e-mail addresses, names, screen names, socialnetwork profile names, phone numbers, personal website URLs, socialnetwork profile URLs, facsimile numbers or physical addresses. Forexample, a search of a telephone directory or people search engine for“Rex Banner” can return a telephone number for Rex Banner. Thistelephone number can then be added to the list of contact information146 for Rex Banner's profile 130. In another example, a people search orweb search for the e-mail address “alewis@example.com” can return a URLfor a social network profile for Adam Lewis. The name “Adam Lewis” canthen be associated with the e-mail address “alewis@example.com” in aprofile 130. In addition, the social network profile URL and socialnetwork screen name for Adam Lewis can be added to the list of contactinformation 146 for Adam Lewis's profile 130. Furthermore, additionalcontact information, that is listed on the social network profile forAdam Lewis, such as additional e-mail addresses, phone numbers, instantmessage screen names, etc., can be extracted from the social networkprofile and added to the list of contact information 146 for AdamLewis's profile 130.

In another example, a web search or person search for a person canreturn a photo or video sharing website profile for the person. The URLor screen name for the person's photo or video sharing website profilecan be added to the list of contact information 146 for the person'sprofile 130. In addition, the photo or video sharing website may containadditional contact information for the person that can be extracted andadded to the list of contact information 146 for the person's profile130.

In another example, contact information 146 for the person 132 caninclude an e-mail address “jertel@examplecompanyltd.com”. A web searchcan be performed to identify the website associated with the e-mailextension “examplecompanyltd.com”. For example, this e-mail extensioncan be associated with a company called “Example Company ltd.”. Thewebsite for Example Company ltd. can then be searched for informationabout the person 132. The website may include a profile page for theperson 132 that includes contact information that can be added to thelist of contact information 146 for the person 132's profile 130. Inaddition, the URL for the profile page can be added to the list ofcontact information 146 for the person 132's profile 130.

In some implementations, the address for a person can be used to refinethe search results for that person by constricting the results toinformation about persons in a specific geographic area. For example, ifa search is being performed for information on a person with a commonname, such as “Bill Johnson”, and Bill Johnson's address is known, thesearch results can be refined by restricting the results to informationabout person's named Bill Johnson in the city of the known address. Insome implementations, other information about a person can be used torefine search results for that person.

In some implementations, contact information can be extracted from ashared network drive or through a secure connection. In someimplementations, contact information can be automatically shared betweensystems. For example, the person 132 can elect to share contactinformation with all people in a trusted network, such as all peoplewith e-mail extensions from the same company. A computer belonging tothe person 132 can then automatically send contact information to alltrusted people. If the user is in the network of trusted people, theperson 132's contact information will automatically be shared with acomputer or system belonging to the user.

In some implementations, contact information for the person 132 can bemanually added or removed from the profile 130 by the user. In someimplementations, contact information for the person 132 can be manuallyadded or removed from the profile by the person 132 or by a third party.In some implementations, the user can choose which contact informationfor each person is displayed in that person's profile.

In some implementations, when a mouse cursor or other selection tool ishovered over/indicates a piece of contact information in the list ofcontact information 146, a pop-up bubble or other indicator can bedisplayed which indicates the source from which the piece of contactinformation was received or extracted. For example, if a phone numberhas been extracted from an e-mail, a hover bubble can be displayed whichshows the e-mail or a portion of the e-mail where the phone number wasextracted with the extracted info highlighted or demarcated in some way.

In some implementations, the user can be allowed to validate contactinformation in the list of contact information 146. Validated contactinformation can be indicated as validated, and un-validated contactinformation can be indicated as un-validated. For example, if a phonenumber for the person 132 is extracted from an e-mail, the user can lookat the phone number to determine if it is indeed the correct phonenumber for the person 132. If the user believes that the phone number iscorrect, the user can choose to validate the phone number. The phonenumber can then be displayed along with an indication that it has beenvalidated, such as with a check mark icon, or text that reads “valid”.If the user is unsure if the phone number is correct, or has not takenthe time to validate the phone number, the phone number can be displayedwith an indication that it has not been validated, such as with aquestion mark icon, or the text “not validated”.

In some implementations, presence of the person 132 can be indicated forsome or all of the contact information on the list of contactinformation 146. For example, an indicator next to a person's instantmessage screen name can indicated if the person is currently logged ontothe related instant message network. In another example, an indicatornext to a person's social network screen name or URL can indicate if theperson is currently logged onto the related social network or if theperson has made a recent update to his or her social network profile. Inanother example, an indicator next to a person's e-mail address canindicate if the person has put up an away message or out of the officemessage.

In some implementations, the profile 130 can display information aboutthe person 132's current location. If the person 132 is in possession ofa GPS unit, GPS enabled phone, or other location detection device, theperson 132 can choose to share his or her location information. Thereare several services that allow a person to share location informationwith other people. The person 132 can choose to share his or herlocation information with the user. The profile 130 can then display thecurrent location of the person 132. This location information can bedisplayed as an address, map coordinates, or a graphic of a map with anicon to indicate the person 132's present location.

Other information about the person 132 that can be displayed on theprofile 130 can include birthday, gender, age, job title, employer,universities attended, family information, or other biographical data.Information from Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRMs) aboutor related to the person 132 can also be displayed in the profile 130.Information about calendar items or scheduled meetings related to theperson 132 or related to a communication can also be displayed as partof the profile 130.

In some implementations, information from one or more websites can bedisplayed as a chronological feed of information in the profile 130.This information can be queried on the web via one or more searchengines or from one or more specific websites through establishedassociations between the person 132 and the one or more websites. Forexample, this information can be found by general searching, peoplesearching, or querying websites where it has been established that theperson 132 is generating content or is the subject of content on thewebsite. Search terms for these searches can include e-mail addresses,names, screen names, social network profile names, phone numbers,personal website URLs, social network profile URLs, or physicaladdresses. Information that is extracted from communications with theperson 132 can also be used as search criteria.

The profile 130 can include a schedule time link 148. The user can clickon/interact with the schedule time link 148 to send a communication tothe person 132 to request a meeting or to send the user's schedule tothe person 132. For example, clicking on the schedule time link 148 cancause an e-mail to be automatically composed that is addressed to theperson 132 that contains all of the times over the course of the nextweek that the user is available during business hours. This scheduleinformation can be extracted from a calendar associated with an e-mailclient, web mail account, social network account, instant messagingprogram, telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), or websitebelonging to the user or associated with the user. In addition, scheduleinformation can be extracted from a calendar stored on a computer,network drive, or other data storage location belonging to or associatedwith the user. In one implementation, clicking on the schedule time link148 can cause a communication to be sent to the person 132 requestingschedule information from the person 132.

The profile 130 can also include one or more initiate communicationlinks 150. In the example shown in FIG. 1B, the initiate communicationlink 150 displayed will cause an e-mail addressed to the person 132 tobe automatically generated when it is clicked on. Other forms ofcommunication that can be initiated using an initiate communication link150 include telephone calls, instant messages, text messages, socialnetwork messages, social network posts, message board posts, facsimiles,or voice over IP communications. For example, the profile 130 caninclude a “call Jen” link that can cause the user's cell phone to dialJen's phone number when clicked on. In another example, the profile 130can include an “instant message” link that when clicked on, can cause aninstant message program to automatically open and generate an instantmessage addressed to a screen name of the person 132.

The profile 130 can include a contact network 152. The contact network152 can include a list of contacts associated with the person 132. Thecontact network 152 can be populated using the methods previouslydescribed in the description of FIG. 1A. The profile 130 can alsodisplay the total number of contacts associated with the person 132 inthe contact network 152. In the example shown in FIG. 1B, the contactnetwork 152 displayed in the profile 130 indicates that there are 50contacts in Jen's contact network 152.

Clicking on, selecting, or interacting with one or more contacts fromthe contact network 152 can cause one or more actions to occur. In oneimplementation, selecting a contact from the contact network 152 cancause a profile for that contact to be displayed. In someimplementations, selecting one or more contacts from the contact network152 can cause a communication directed to the selected contacts to beinitiated. For example, selecting three contacts from the contactnetwork 152 can cause an e-mail addressed to the three contacts to begenerated. In another example, clicking on three contacts from thecontact network 152 can cause the user's telephone to initiate aconference call with the selected contacts. In some implementations,selecting one or more contacts from the contact list can cause acommunication directed to the selected contacts and the person 132 to begenerated.

In some implementations, selecting a contact from the contact network152 can cause the most recent communication or conversation threadbetween the user and the selected contact to be displayed. In someimplementations, selecting a contact from the contact network 152 cancause the most recent communication or conversation thread involving thecontact, the person 132, and the user to be displayed. In someimplementations, moving a mouse cursor over a contact in the contactnetwork 152 can cause information about the contact to be displayed. Forexample, moving a cursor over a contact can cause a small pop-up bubbleto appear that displays the contact's phone number, e-mail address, orother contact information. In some implementations, contacts can bemanually added or removed from the contact network 152 by the user.

In some implementations, selecting a contact from the contact network152 can cause an attachment profile containing information about one ormore attachments sent to or received from the selected contact to bedisplayed. For example, if the user recently received an e-mail from oneof the contacts with a file named “examplefile1.doc” attached, selectingthe contact on the contact network 152 can cause an attachment profilecontaining information associated with examplefile1.doc to be displayed.Other methods for triggering the display of the attachment profile arepossible as discussed below.

The profile 130 can include a conversation list 154 that includes a listof recent communications or conversation threads involving the user andthe person 132 as previously described in the description of FIG. 1A.The conversation list 154 can display the total number of communicationsor conversation threads involving the user and the person 132. In theexample shown in FIG. 1B, the conversation list 154 indicates that 2510conversation threads have occurred that involved the user and the person132.

Clicking on or selecting a conversation thread or communication in theconversation list 154 can cause a more detailed summary of theconversation thread or communication to be displayed. For example,selecting a conversation thread can cause a summary of one or morecommunications in the conversation thread to be displayed. In anotherexample, selecting a communication in the conversation list 154 cancause a summary of the communication to be displayed. In someimplementations, selecting a communication in the conversation list 154can cause the communication to be displayed. For example, selecting ane-mail from the conversation list 154 can cause the e-mail to bedisplayed.

In some implementations, selecting a conversation thread can cause themost recent communication to be received or the most recentcommunication to be sent in that conversation thread to be displayed. Insome implementations, selecting a conversation thread in theconversation list 154 can cause the first communication in thatconversation thread to be displayed. In some implementations, selectinga conversation thread from the conversation list 154 can cause acommunication addressed to all of the participants of the conversationthread to be generated. For example, selecting an e-mail conversationthread can cause an e-mail to be automatically generated that isaddressed to all of the e-mail addresses involved with the selectedconversation thread.

In some implementations, selecting a conversation thread in theconversation list 154 can cause a list of files attached tocommunications in the conversation thread to be displayed. In someimplementations, selecting a conversation thread in the conversationlist 154 can cause an attachment profile for an attachment associatedwith the conversation thread to be displayed. For example, selecting aconversation thread can cause an attachment profile for the mostrecently exchanged attachment in the conversation thread to bedisplayed. In another example, selecting a conversation thread can causean attachment profile for an attachment that has been exchanged the mosttimes within the conversation thread to be displayed. In someimplementations, selecting a conversation thread can cause multipleattachment profiles for multiple attachments associated with theconversation thread to be displayed, for example, either simultaneously,selectably or sequentially.

In some implementations, communications or conversation threads can bemanually added or removed from the conversations list 154 by the user.

The profile 130 can include a files exchanged list 156. The filesexchanged list 156 can contain a list of files exchanged between theuser and the person 132 as previously described in the description ofFIG. 1A. For each file listed in the files exchanged list 156, theprofile 130 can display a file name, a file title, an icon, the time ordate when the file was received or sent, the amount of time that haselapsed since the file was received or sent, the time or date when thefile was last modified, the time or date when the file was created, thenames of persons who created the file, the names of persons who modifiedthe file, the subject of the communication to which the file wasattached, or other information about the file. Icons displayed next to afile name or file title can indicate what type of document the file is.In the example depicted, a file 158 with the file name “sturgeon001.jpg” is displayed. An icon next to the file name for the file 158indicates that the file 158 is a picture file. A date next to the filename indicates that the file 158 was received on April 23.

In some implementations, clicking on or selecting a file in the filesexchanged list 156 can cause the file to open. In some implementations,selecting a file can cause the communication to which the file wasattached to be displayed. In some implementations, selecting a file cancause a list of files with the same file name to be displayed. Thisallows the different versions of a document that has undergone severalrounds of revisions to be reviewed and compared to each other. This listof files can include a time and date stamp for each version of the fileso that the most recent revision can be easily identified.

In some implementations, selecting a file in the files exchange list 156can cause an attachment profile containing information about the file tobe displayed. In some implementations, selecting a file can cause asummary of the file to be generated and displayed. For example, hoveringa cursor over a file in the files exchanged list 156 can cause aninformation bubble containing the title and first few lines of the fileto be displayed. In some implementations, files can be copied from thefiles exchanged list 156 to other locations. In some implementations,files can be manually added or removed from the files exchanged list bythe user.

The profile 130 can include one or more menu buttons 160. The menubuttons can be used to change personal settings or preferences, changeviewing preferences, or access menus or help information. The profile130 can also include a minimize button 162 that can cause the profile130 to minimize or close. When the minimize button 162 is clicked orselected, a minimized version of the profile 130 that takes up lessspace in a viewing window can be displayed. The minimized version of theprofile 130 can include a summary of some or all of the informationdisplayed by the profile 130.

FIG. 1C shows a viewing panel 164. The viewing panel 164 can display aprofile such as the profile 130 of FIG. 1B. The viewing panel 164 canalso display information about communications, communicationattachments, files, or conversation threads. In the example shown inFIG. 1C the viewing panel 164 displays information about a conversationthread 166 in the form of a conversation thread profile. The informationabout the conversation thread 166 can be displayed in response to a userclicking on a conversation thread 166 in a conversation list, such asthe conversation list 154 from FIG. 1B. In some implementations, theconversation thread 166 can be displayed in response to the userviewing, reading, selecting, opening, writing, initiating, or receivinga communication that is part of the currently displayed conversationthread 166. For example, the user can select an e-mail such as thee-mail 110 from FIG. 1A. This can cause a communication profilecontaining information about the conversation thread 166 that includesthe selected e-mail to be displayed. The communication profile caninclude information about the selected e-mail as well as other e-mailsand communications involved in the same conversation thread 166 as theselected e-mail. In another example, the user can view an instantmessage which can cause information about a conversation thread 166which includes the instant message to be displayed.

In some implementations, the conversation thread profile can bedisplayed in response to a search performed by the user. For example,the user can use a search bar 168 to search for a conversation thread166 based on the subject of the conversation thread 166, participants inthe conversation thread 166, files attached to communications in theconversation thread 166, or key words or terms in the communications ofthe conversation thread 166.

The viewing panel 164 can include one or more navigation buttons 170.The navigation buttons 170 can include a profile view navigation button172. The profile view navigation button 172 can be used to return theviewing panel 164 to a profile view so that the viewing panel 164displays information about the sender or recipient of a currentlyselected communication, or another person as indicated by the user. Thenavigation buttons 170 can also include a back button 174. The backbutton 174 can be used to display a profile, conversation thread, orother information that was previously displayed in the viewing panel164. For example, if the user was previously viewing a profile for aperson named Mark Wagner, clicking on the back button 174 can cause theviewing panel 164 to display the profile for Mark Wagner. In anotherexample, if the user was previously viewing information about an e-mailattachment, clicking on the back button 174 can cause the viewing panel164 to display the previously viewed e-mail attachment information.

The navigation buttons 170 can also display a navigation history thathas lead to the current information being displayed in the viewing panel164. In the example shown in FIG. 1C, the navigation buttons 170indicate that the user first viewed a profile for Jen Ertel. The userthen viewed a profile for Jerri Clark Wagner. The user may have openedthe profile for Jerri Clark Wagner by clicking on the name Jerri ClarkWagner in a contact network or list of contacts on Jen Ertel's profile,or by performing a search for Jerri Clark Wagner, or other informationassociated with Jerri Clark Wagner. The navigation buttons 170 indicatethat the user then viewed a profile for Mark Wagner. The user may havecaused the current conversation thread 166 to be displayed by clickingon a conversation thread in a conversation list similar to theconversation list 124 from FIG. 1A. In some implementations, clicking onor selecting any of the buttons in the navigation history can cause theviewing panel 164 to display the profile, conversation thread,communication, communication attachment, or other information associatedwith the selected navigation button 170.

The viewing panel 164 can include a title bar 176. The title bar 176 caninclude the type of information being displayed in the viewing panel,the subject, and other key information. When the information beingdisplayed in the viewing panel 164 is a conversation thread 166, thetitle bar 176 can indicate that a conversation is being viewed, thetitle or subject line of the conversation thread, the number ofcommunications involved in the conversation thread, the types ofcommunications involved in the conversation thread, or the number ofpeople involved in the conversation thread. In the example shown, thetitle bar 176 indicates that a conversation is being viewed, that thesubject line of the communications in the conversation thread 166 is“dinner?”, that there are 8 people involved in conversation thread 166,that 18 communications are included in the conversation thread 166, andthat all 18 communications are e-mails.

The viewing panel 164 can include a summary of some or all of thecommunications 178 that make up the conversation thread 166. Informationdisplayed as part of the summary for each communication 178 can includethe sender of the communication 178, the recipients of the communication178, the time or day that the communication 178 was sent or received,attachments to the communication 178, the first few lines or sentencesof the communication 178, the importance of the communication 178, orthe number of recipients of the communication 178. For example, ane-mail summary 180 indicates that the user sent an e-mail in response toan e-mail from Jerri 1 week ago and that 5 additional recipients werealso listed on the e-mail. The e-mail summary 180 also displays thefirst lines of the e-mail sent to Jerri.

In some implementations, the communications 178 that make up theconversation thread 166 can be of various communication types. Forexample, a conversation thread can include a combination of e-mails,instant messages, and social network profile comments. In anotherexample, a conversation thread can include a combination of phoneconversation transcripts, text messages, and blog posts.

In some implementations, clicking on or selecting a communicationsummary in the conversation thread 166 can cause the relatedcommunication to be displayed. For example, clicking on the e-mailsummary 180 can cause the e-mail sent from the user to Jerri to bedisplayed. In another example, selecting a communication summary in theconversation thread 166 can cause a profile for a sender or one or morerecipients of the related communication to be displayed. In anotherexample, selecting a communication summary in the conversation thread166 can cause one or more attachments or a list of attachments to therelated communication to be displayed. In some implementations,selecting a communication summary in the conversation thread 166 cancause a communication addressed to the sender or one or more recipientsof the related communication to be automatically generated. In someimplementations, selecting a communication summary in the conversationthread 166 can cause a more detailed summary for the relatedcommunication to be displayed.

In some implementations, selecting a communication summary in theconversation thread 166 can cause a communication profile containinginformation about the communication to be displayed. In someimplementations, selecting a communication summary in the conversationthread 166 can cause an attachment profile containing information abouta file attached to the selected communication to be displayed.

The viewing panel 164 can include a detail adjustment control 182. thedetail adjustment control 182 can be used to modify the amount of detailthat is displayed in each communication summary in the conversation list166. In one implementation, adjusting the detail adjustment control 182can increase or decrease the number of words or lines of a body of acommunication that are displayed in each communication summary. In someimplementations, adjusting the detail adjustment control 182 canincrease or decrease the amount of information that is displayed foreach communication summary. For example, the detail adjustment controlcan be changed to display an e-mail address and phone number for eachsender or recipient of each communication 178 in the correspondingcommunication summary. In another example, the detail adjustment control182 can be used to control what information is used to identify sendersor recipients of communications 178 in each communication summary.Information used to identify senders or recipients can include names,nick names, screen names, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, socialnetwork profile names, or company names.

In some implementations in which some or all of the communications thatmake up a conversation thread 166 are telephone calls or voice over IPcommunications, audio recordings of some or all of the telephone callsor voice over IP communications can be displayed in the conversationthread 166. Clicking on or selecting a telephone call or voice over IPcommunication in the conversation thread 166 can cause an audiorecording of the communication to play. In some implementations,automatically or manually created transcripts of telephone calls orvoice over IP communications that make up part or all of a conversationthread 166 can be displayed. In some implementations, a summary of atranscript of the audio communication can be displayed as part of acommunication summary in the conversation thread 166. Clicking on orselecting a communication summary of a telephone call or voice over IPcommunication for which a transcript exists can cause the fulltranscript of the audio communication to be displayed, or an audio fileof the audio communication to play.

The viewing panel 164 can include a conversation participants list 184.The conversation participants list 184 can be a list of senders andrecipients of the communications 178 that make up the conversationthread 166. Information about each participant in the conversationthread 166 can be displayed, including name, contact information, numberof communications initiated in the displayed conversation thread 166,and other relevant information. The conversation participants list 184can also indicate the total number of participants involved in theconversation thread 166.

In some implementations, clicking on or selecting a person listed in theconversation participants list 184 can cause a profile for the selectedperson to be displayed. In some implementations, selecting a person fromthe conversation participants list 184 can automatically generate acommunication addressed to the selected person. In some implementations,selecting a person from the conversation participants list 184 can causeall communications or summaries of communications from the currentconversation thread 166 that were initiated by the selected person to bedisplayed.

In some implementations, selecting a person from the conversationparticipants list 184 can cause a list of attachments sent by theselected person to be displayed. In some implementations, selecting aperson from the conversation participants list 184 can cause one or moreattachment profiles for attachments sent by the selected person to bedisplayed. In some implementations, selecting a person from theconversation participants list 184 can cause one or more attachmentprofiles containing information about files modified by the selectedperson to be displayed. In some implementations, selecting a person fromthe conversation participants list 184 can cause one or more attachmentprofiles containing information about files created by the selectedperson to be displayed.

The viewing panel 164 can include a files exchanged list 186. The filesexchanged list 186 can display a list of files that have been exchangedin the current conversation thread 166. For example, the files exchangedlist 186 can list all of the files that have been attached tocommunications 178 in the conversation thread 166. Clicking on orselecting a file from the files exchanged list 186 can cause theselected file to open. In some implementations, selecting a file fromthe files exchanged list 186 can cause one or more communications towhich the file was attached to be displayed. In some implementations,selecting a file from the files exchanged list 186 can cause one or morecommunication summaries for communications to which the file wasattached to be displayed.

In some implementations, clicking on or selecting a file in the filesexchanged list 186 can cause the file to open. In some implementations,selecting a file can cause the communication to which the file wasattached to be displayed. In some implementations, selecting a file cancause a list of files with the same file name to be displayed. Thisallows the different versions of a document that has undergone severalrounds of revisions to be reviewed and compared to each other. This listof files can include a time and date stamp for each version of the fileso that the most recent revision can be easily identified.

In some implementations, selecting a file in the files exchange list 186can cause an attachment profile containing information about the file tobe displayed. In some implementations, selecting a file can cause asummary of the file to be generated and displayed (e.g., an attachmentprofile). For example, hovering a cursor over a file in the filesexchanged list 186 can cause an information bubble containing the titleand first few lines of the file to be displayed. In someimplementations, files can be copied from the files exchanged list 186to other locations. In some implementations, files can be manually addedor removed from the files exchanged list by the user.

In some implementations, the viewing panel 164 can include webinformation derived from links in one or more of the communications 178in the conversation thread 166. For example, one of the communications178 can contain a link to a website for a restaurant. Information aboutthe restaurant, such as hours of operation, address, daily specials, ortype of food can be displayed in the viewing panel 164. In anotherexample, a communication 178 in the conversation thread 166 can containa link to a document that contains information about an upcomingmeeting. Information about the meeting, such as meeting time, location,or agenda items can be displayed in the viewing panel 164. In anotherexample, one of the communications 178 can contain a link to a websitefor a concert. Information about the concert, such as date, time,location, and artists performing, can be displayed in the viewing panel164.

In some implementations, the viewing panel 164 can include informationderived from a file attached to one or more of the communications 178 inthe conversation thread 166. For example, if a file containinginformation about a birthday party is attached to one of thecommunications, information about the birthday party, such as name ofthe person who's birthday it is, date, time and location can bedisplayed in the viewing panel 164.

In some implementations, addresses or maps of locations listed in one ormore of the communications 178 or in one or more files attached to oneor more of the communications 178 can be displayed. For example, if anaddress is listed in one of the communications 178, the address can bedisplayed in the viewing panel 164. In another example, if an address islisted in one of the communications 178, a map of the address can bedisplayed in the viewing panel 164. In another example, if a city islisted in an attachment to one of the communications 178, a map of thecity can be displayed in the viewing panel 164.

FIG. 2 shows an attachment profile 200 for a file 202 with a file name“Document1.doc”. The attachment profile 200 can display informationabout the file 202. The attachment profile 200 can be displayed inresponse to a request by a user to view information about the file 202.Requests to view an attachment profile 200 can take the form of openingan attachment, viewing an attachment, selecting an attachment, opening,selecting or viewing a communication including an attachment,associating an attachment with a communication, hovering a cursor overan attachment, selecting a file that was sent or received as anattachment to a communication, listening to a recorded voiceconversation that is associated with an attachment, viewing or opening awebpage which contains an attachment, or performing a search usinginformation associated with the attachment or a communication to whichthe attachment was attached as search terms, to name some examples. Forexample, the attachment profile 200 can be displayed in response to auser selecting an e-mail to which the file 202 is attached. In anotherexample, a user can select a file from a files exchanged list, such asthe files exchanged list 156 from FIG. 1B, which can cause an attachmentprofile 200 for the selected file to be displayed. In another example, auser can use a search bar 204 to search for a title or author of anarticle which can cause an attachment profile 200 for a file whichcontains the article to be displayed. In another example, a user can usethe search bar 204 to search for a file name which can cause anattachment profile 200 for the file to be displayed.

In some implementations, one attachment can be determined to be moreimportant than another attachment when both are implicitly selected. Anattachment profile 200 for the more important attachment can then bedisplayed. This determination can be based on past user behavior. Forexample, a user can view an e-mail that includes two attachments. In thepast, when an attachment profile for the first attachment was displayed,the user may not have interacted with, or showed minimal interactionwith, the attachment profile for the first attachment. When anattachment profile for the second attachment was displayed in the past,the user may have interacted with the attachment profile for the secondattachment more than the attachment profile for the first attachment. Inthis example, it can be determined that the second attachment is moreimportant than the first attachment and an attachment profile for thesecond attachment can be displayed in response to the e-mail includingboth attachments being viewed.

In another example, a user can view an e-mail that includes twoattachments. The first attachment may have been attached to 18 differentpast communications, where as the second attachment was attached to noprevious communications. It can be determined that the first attachmentis more important than the second attachment and an attachment profilefor the first attachment can be displayed in response to the e-mailincluding both attachments being viewed. In another example, a firstattachment may contain a large amount of text and graphics relating to atopic, where as a second attachment contains a list of e-mail addresses.It can be determined that the first attachment is more important thanthe second attachment in this example.

In some implementations, the attachment profile 200 can be displayed asan additional panel within an e-mail client, web browser, instantmessage client, or other communication client. The additional panel issometimes referred to as a side bar in implementations in which thepanel appears on the side of a web browser or communication client. Insome implementations, the attachment profile 200 can be displayed in astand alone window, in a pop-up bubble displayed over a portion of a webbrowser or communication client, or integrated as part of one or moreother panels in a web browser or communication client. For example, apop up bubble containing an attachment profile 200 can appear when ane-mail is selected in an e-mail client, when a file attached to acommunication is selected, or when a mouse icon is hovered over a filename.

The attachment profile 200 can include a title bar 206 that displays afile name, title or other identifying information for the file 202. Inthe example depicted, the title bar 206 indicates that the file name forthe file 202 is “Document1.doc”. The title bar 206 also includes an iconindicating that the file 202 is a document. In another example, thetitle bar 206 can display a title for the file, such as “Methods forImproving Efficiency”. In some implementations, selecting or clicking ona title, file name, or other identifying information in the title bar206 can cause the file 202 to open. In some implementations, selectingor clicking on a title, file name, or other identifying information inthe title bar 206 can cause a communication with the file 202 attachedto be automatically generated.

The attachment profile 200 can include file information 208 related tothe file 202. The file information 208 can include file type, times ordates when the file was received or sent, the amount of time that haselapsed since the file was received or sent, the time or date when thefile was last modified, the time or date when the file was created, thenames of persons who created the file, one or more authors of the file,or the subjects of communications to which the file was attached. In theexample depicted, the file information 208 includes a time and day whenthe file 202 was last modified and a date when the file 202 was created.The file information 208 indicates that the file 202 was last modifiedtoday at 3:23 pm and that the file was created on April 22. In anotherexample, the file information 208 can indicate that the author of thefile 202 is named “Gary P. Loring.” In another example, the fileinformation 208 can indicate that the file 202 was created by Val Byrne.In another example, the file information 208 can indicate that the firstcommunication that included the file 202 as an attachment was receivedon April 23 and that the subject of the communication was “notes fromyesterday's meeting”.

The file information 208 can also include statistics about the file 202.For example, the file information 208 can include the number ofcommunications to which the file 202 was attached. In another example,the file information 208 can include a graph of the amount ofinformation that was added or deleted from the file 202 in each revisionof the file 202. In some implementations, the file information 208 caninclude statistics about communications to which the file 202 wasattached or statistics about persons listed as senders of communicationsto which the file 202 was attached. For example, the file information208 can display a graph showing the times of day that communications towhich the file 202 was attached were sent.

The attachment profile 200 can include a versions list 210. The versionslist can display various versions of the file 202, when the versionswere modified, when the versions were sent, when the versions werereceived, how many versions of the file 202 there have been, whomodified each version, summaries of the various versions, or summariesof changes between the various versions. In the example depicted, theversions list 210 indicates that there have been 5 versions of the file202 including the current version. The versions list 210 also indicateswhen each version was modified. In another example, the versions list210 can include the name of the person or persons who modified eachversion. In another example, the versions list 210 can include the firstfew lines of each version as a summary of each version. In anotherexample, the versions list 210 can display a summary of additions ordeletions from the file 202 that have occurred between each version.

In some implementations, selecting a version from the versions list 210can cause the selected version of the file 202 to open. In someimplementations, selecting a version from the versions list 210 cancause a marked up version of the selected version of the file 202indicating changes between the selected version and the previous versionto be displayed. For example, selecting a version 212 of the file 202can cause a marked up copy of the version 212 to be displayed thatindicates changes (i.e. additions and deletions) from a previous version214 of the file 202. In some implementations, selecting a version fromthe versions list 210 can cause a marked up version of the selectedversion of the file 202 indicating changes between the selected versionand the original version to be displayed.

The attachment profile 200 can include a conversations list 216 thatdisplays a list of conversations threads that contain communications towhich the file 202 was attached. For example, if the file 202 wasattached to an instant message received by the user, a conversationthread including the instant message can be displayed in theconversations list 216. In another example, if the file 202 was attachedto a message board post, a conversation thread including the messageboard post can be displayed in the conversations list 216. Theconversations list 216 can also display the number of conversationthreads that contain communications to which the file 202 was attachedor referred to, the number of communications in each conversationthread, the subject of each conversation thread, the time or date thatthe last communication in each conversation thread was sent or thenumber of attachments to communications in each conversation thread.

In the example depicted, the conversations list 216 indicates that threeconversation threads contain communications to which the file 202 wasattached. The conversations list 216 indicates that the subjects of thethree conversation threads are “Revisions from Mark”, “Updated Draft”,and “Tomorrow's Meeting”. The conversations list 216 also indicates howmany communications make up each conversation thread and how long agothe last communication for each conversation thread was sent. In someimplementations, the conversation threads can include various types ofcommunications. For example, a conversation thread can include acombination of e-mails, instant messages, and social network profilecomments. In another example, a conversation thread can include acombination of phone conversation transcripts, text messages, and blogposts.

In some implementations, selecting a conversation thread from the listof conversations 216 can cause a conversation thread profile, such asthe conversation thread profile shown in FIG. 1C, to be displayed. Insome implementations, selecting a conversation thread from the list ofconversations 216 can cause one or more communications from theconversation thread to which the file 202 was attached to be displayed.In some implementations, selecting a conversation thread from the listof conversations 216 can cause a communication profile for one or morecommunications from the conversation thread to which the file 202 wasattached to be displayed. In some implementations, selecting aconversation thread from the list of conversations 216 can cause acommunication addressed to all of the participants of the communicationthread to be automatically generated.

in some implementations, the attachment profile 200 can include acommunications list in place of or in addition to the conversations list210. The communications list can include a list of communications towhich the file 202 was attached or referenced. The communications listcan include information about each communication in the list such assubject, time or date sent or received, sender, recipients, other filesattached to the communication, or a summary of the communication. Forexample, if the file 202 was attached to an e-mail sent by a user and aninstant message received by the user, the communications list candisplay a summary of the e-mail and the instant message that includesthe subject, sender, recipients, and first few lines of the e-mail andthe instant message.

The attachment profile 200 can include an edited by list 218 whichdisplays a list of persons who have edited the file 202. The edited bylist 218 can also display the number of persons who have edited the file202, the time or date of the last time each person edited the file 202,or the versions of the file 202 that each person edited. In the exampledepicted, the edited by list 218 indicates that three people have editedthe file 202. The edited by list 218 indicates that the last person toedited the file 202 was a user (i.e. “You”) and that the file 202 waslast edited by the user today at 3:23 pm. The edited by list 218indicates that the file 202 was also edited by Evan Carpenter and thathe last edited the file on May 12. The edited by list 218 furtherindicates that the file was edited by Mark McMahon and that he lastedited the file on April 26. In another example, the edited by list 218can indicate that the last version edited by Mark McMahon was Version 2.

In some implementations, selecting a person from the edited by list 218can cause a profile, such as the profile 130 from FIG. 1B, to bedisplayed. In some implementations, selecting a person from the editedby list 218 can cause the last version of the file 202 that was editedby the selected person to be displayed. In some implementations,selecting a person from the edited by list 218 can cause the lastcommunication to or from the selected person to which the file 202 wasattached to be displayed. In some implementations, selecting a personfrom the edited by list 218 can cause a communication addressed to theselected person to be automatically generated.

The attachment profile 200 can include a related contacts list 220 whichdisplays a list of persons associated with the file 202. The personslisted in related contacts list 220 can include authors of the file 202,persons who have edited the file 202, persons who created the file 202,persons listed as senders or recipients on communications to which thefile 202 was attached, persons listed as senders or recipients oncommunications in conversation threads that include communications towhich the file 202 was attached, persons listed in the file 202, personslisted in communications to which the file 202 was attached, or personslisted in communications in conversation threads that includecommunications to which the file 202 was attached. For example, if aperson named “Donald Ellis” is listed as an author of the file 202,Donald Ellis can be listed in the related contacts list 220. In anotherexample, if a person named “Richard Feller” is listed in the CC filed onan e-mail to which the file 202 was attached, Richard Feller can belisted in the related contacts list 220. In another example, if a personnamed “Arnold Dodger” sent an instant message in a conversation threadthat includes a message board post to which the file 202 was attached,Arnold Dodger can be listed in the related contacts list 220.

Identifying information for each person in the related contacts list 220can be displayed, such as name, nick name, screen name, company name,e-mail address or other contact or biographical information. In someimplementations, selecting a person from the related contacts list 220can cause a profile, such as the profile 130 from FIG. 1B, to bedisplayed. In some implementations, selecting a person from the relatedcontacts list 220 can cause the last communication sent or received bythe person in a conversation thread that contains a communication towhich the file 202 was attached to be displayed. For example, looking atFIG. 2, selecting the name “Val Byrne” can cause the last communicationsent by Val Byrne from the conversation thread “Revisions from Mark” tobe displayed. In some implementations, selecting a person from therelated contacts list 220 can cause the last communication sent orreceived by the person to which the file 202 was attached to bedisplayed. In some implementations, selecting a person from the relatedcontacts list 220 can cause a communication addressed to the selectedperson to be automatically generated.

The attachment profile 200 can include a related files list 222 whichdisplays files associated with the file 202. The files listed on therelated files list 222 can include files that were attached tocommunications to which the file 202 was attached, files that wereattached to communications in conversation threads that includecommunications to which the file 202 was attached, files with one ormore shared authors as the file 202, files with one or more sharededitors or creators as the file 202, or files with similar subjectmatter as the file 202. For example, a file attached to an e-mail whichalso included the file 202 as an attachment can be displayed in therelated files list 222. The related files list 222 can displayinformation about the files including total number of files, file names,titles, authors, last person to edit the file, person who created thefile, when the file was created, when the file was last modified, orwhen a communication to which the file was attached was last sent orreceived.

In the example depicted, the related files list 222 indicates that fourfiles are related to the file 202. The related files list 222 indicatesthat a file named “Presentation 1.ppt” is associated with the file 202and that it was last sent or received on a communication 12 minutes ago.In another example, the related files list 222 can indicate that thefile “Presentation 1.ppt” was created by Adam Bleet on January 12^(th).In another example, the related files list 222 can indicate that a filewith the file name “Example 1.doc” contains an article titled “Advancesin Cell Growth” authored by Bryan Leeks.

In some implementations, selecting a file from the related files list222 can cause the selected file to open. In some implementations,selecting a file from the related files list 222 can cause an attachmentprofile for the selected file 222 to be displayed. In someimplementations, selecting a file from the related files list 222 cancause one or more communications to which the selected file was attachedto be displayed. In some implementations, selecting a file from therelated files list 222 can cause one or more communications to whichboth the selected file and the file 202 were attached to be displayed.In some implementations, selecting a file from the related files list222 can cause a communication with the selected file attached to beautomatically generated.

In some implementations, information derived from the file 202 orcommunications to which the file 202 was attached can be displayed aspart of the attachment profile 200. For example, if the file 202includes information about a birthday party, information about thebirthday party, such as name of the person who's birthday it is, date,time and location can be displayed in the attachment profile 200. Inanother example, if the file 202 includes information about recent salesstatistics, graphs from the file 202 can be displayed as part of theattachment profile 200. In another example, the file 202 can be attachedto a meeting request. Information about the meeting, such as meetingtime, location, or agenda items can be displayed in the attachmentprofile 200.

In some implementations, attachment profile 200 can include webinformation derived from links or keywords in the file 202 or in one ormore communications to which the file 202 was attached. For example, acommunication to which the file 202 was attached can contain a link to awebsite for a restaurant. Information about the restaurant, such ashours of operation, address, daily specials, or type of food can bedisplayed in the attachment profile 200. In another example, the file202 can be a menu to a restaurant. A web search can be performed basedon the name and location of the restaurant and information about therestaurant, such as hours of operation, address, daily specials, or typeof food can be displayed in the attachment profile 200. In anotherexample, the file 202 can contain a link to a website for a concert.Information about the concert, such as date, time, location, and artistsperforming, can be displayed in the attachment profile 200.

In some implementations, addresses or maps of locations listed in thefile 202 or in one or more communications to which the file 202 wasattached can be displayed. For example, if an address is listed in thefile 202, the address can be displayed as part of the attachment profile200. In another example, if an address is listed in a communication towhich the file 202 is attached, a map of the address can be displayed aspart of the attachment profile 200. In another example, if a city islisted in a communication to which the file 202 is attached, a map ofthe city can be displayed in the attachment profile 200.

FIG. 3 shows an example communication delivery system 300. In the system300, a first device (e.g., computer 302) belonging to a first user cantransmit communications to a second device (e.g., computer 304)belonging to a second user over a computer network 306. The computernetwork 306 can be the Internet, an intranet, a LAN system or acompany's internal computer network. In some implementations, thecomputer 302 and the computer 304 can be desktop computers, laptopcomputers, cell phones, web enabled televisions, or personal digitalassistants. The communication transmitted from the computer 302 to thecomputer 304 can be an e-mail, phone call, instant message, textmessage, social network message or comment, message board post, or voiceover IP communication.

The computer 304 can extract data from the communications about thefirst user and about files associated with the communications. Forexample, the computer 304 can extract data about files sent asattachments to e-mails from the first user to the second user. This datacan be used to make an attachment profile similar to the attachmentprofile 200 shown in FIG. 2. Data that is extracted from communicationswith the first user can be used to query websites, search engines,person search directories and other sources of information foradditional information about files associated with the communicationsthat can be used to create an attachment profile. Information fromcommunications and attached files that can be used as search criteriainclude file names, file titles, subject matters of files, names orother identifiers of persons who created the files, names or otheridentifiers of persons who modified the file, names or other identifiersof persons who were listed as senders or recipients on communications towhich the files were attached, the subjects of communications to whichthe files were attached, or text from communications to which the fileswere attached, to name some examples. Information that is collected as aresult of these queries can be used in future searches to identifyadditional information that can be used to create an attachment profile.

For example, the computer 304 can receive an e-mail that includes anattachment sent by the first user from the computer 302. The computer304 can perform a search using a search engine 308 with the title of theattached file as the search criteria. The search engine 308 can return asearch result that includes an author of the attached file. The name ofthe author can be displayed as part of an attachment profile for theattached file. The search engine 308 can also return the URL for or linkto a journal article written by the author of the attached file. Thejournal article 310 may contain additional information about theattached file or subject matter of the attached file that can bedisplayed as part of an attachment profile for the attached file.

In another example, the e-mail address belonging to the first user mayinclude an extension for a company. The computer 304 can perform asearch using the search engine 308 with the e-mail extension as thesearch criteria. A result returned by the search can be a companywebsite. An attachment to an e-mail from the first user may be a filethat includes information about a product. The company website can besearched to reveal a product profile page 312 for the product describedin the attachment. The product profile page 312 may contain additionalinformation about the product that can be included in an attachmentprofile for the attachment.

In another example, the computer 304 can receive an e-mail sent by thefirst user from the computer 302 that includes an attachment. The e-mailcan contain a social network profile name for the first user. Thecomputer 304 can extract this social network profile name from thee-mail and use it to access a social network webpage 316. The socialnetwork webpage 316 can contain additional information related to thesubject matter of the attachment that can be included in an attachmentprofile. For example, the attachment may contain information about abirthday party. The social network webpage 316 can contain additionalinformation about the birthday party, such as a list of attendees, thatcan be displayed as part of an attachment profile for the attachment. Inaddition, links to social network profiles of the attendees can belisted as part of the attachment profile.

In another example, the first user can send an e-mail to the second userwith a photo or video attached. A search performed using the searchengine 308 based on information in the e-mail or attachment can return aURL or link for a photo or video sharing website 318. A photo attachedto the e-mail can be part of a photo album on the photo or video sharingwebsite 318. Other photos from the photo album can be displayed as partof an attachment profile for the attached photo. In another example, ifthe attachment is a video, a link to a webpage on the photo or videosharing website 318 that includes the video can be displayed as part ofan attachment profile for the attached video.

In some implementations, data relating to communications and attachmentsto communications collected by the computer 304 can be stored locally ona hard drive or other media storage device of the computer 304. In someimplementations, the data collected by the computer 304 is stored in alocation external to an e-mail client, instant message client, or othercommunication client used in making the communications. For example, anattachment profile can include information about one or more attachmentsto e-mails exchanged between the first user and the second user, theattachment profile can be stored in a memory location on the computer304 that is separate from a memory location used by an e-mail clientused to send and receive the e-mails exchanged between the first userand the second user. In another example, data related to the contents ofcommunications in a conversation thread can be stored in a memorylocation on the computer 304 that is separate from a memory locationused by an e-mail client that was used to send and receive thecommunications in the conversation thread.

In some implementations, data relating to communications and attachmentsto communications collected by the computer 304 can be stored in aremote database 320 that is external to the computer 304. In someimplementations, the computer 304 can connect to the remote database 320via the computer network 306 as shown in FIG. 3. In someimplementations, the computer 304 can connect to the remote database 320directly or via a separate computer network. The data stored in theremote database 320 can be separate from data stored by an e-mailclient, instant message client, or other communication client. Forexample, an e-mail client running on the computer 304 can store datalocally on the computer 304 while data collected as part of anattachment profile, including communication and attachment datacollected from the e-mail client, is stored in the remote database 320.

The computer 304 can monitor the behavior of the second user todetermine if the second user has made a request (e.g., an implicitrequest) to view an attachment profile. For example, the second user canview the journal article 310. The computer 304 can detect that thesecond user is viewing the journal article 310 and present an attachmentprofile for an attachment related to the journal article 310. Forexample, the journal article may have been sent as an attachment to acommunication received by the computer 304. In another example, thejournal article may contain similar subject matter to an attachment to acommunication received by the computer 304. In some implementations, thecomputer 304 can identify one or more identifiers for a file orattachment in a currently open web page, e-mail, instant message orother media item being viewed by the second user and insert a link inproximity to the identifier for accessing an attachment profile.Identifiers can include a name of an attachment, a title of a file, oneor more authors of a file, a file name, a document name, or one or moresenders of communication to which an attachment was attached. Forexample, the second user can be viewing a webpage that includes thetitles of two files received as attachments to communications by thesecond user. The computer 304 can identify the file titles and insertbuttons or hyper links on or near the identified titles. Clicking on orselecting one of the buttons or hyper links can cause an attachmentprofile for the file associated with the identified title to bedisplayed, such as the attachment profile 200 from FIG. 2.

In another example, the second user can be reading an e-mail thatcontains the text “can you please send me the latest version ofexampledoc1.doc”. The computer 304 can identify exampledoc1.doc as afile name of a file that has been sent, received, edited or created bythe second user. The computer 304 can insert a button on or near thetext “exampledoc1.doc” that can cause an attachment profile forexampledoc1.doc to be displayed when selected. This allows the seconduser to easily access exampledoc1.doc and quickly send it to the senderof the e-mail. In another example, the second user can be viewing awebpage which includes the name “Arthur Schwerin”. The computer 304 caninsert a hyper link on or near the name “Arthur Schwerin”. When thesecond user selects the inserted hyper link, an attachment profile foran article written by Arthur Schwerin can be displayed.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example process 400 for generating anddisplaying an attachment profile. The process 400 can, for example, beimplemented in a system such as the system 100 of FIG. 1A. In anotherexample, the process 400 can be implemented in a system such as thecommunication delivery system 300 of FIG. 3.

Stage 402 collects historical communication data and attachment data.For example, communications such as e-mails, instant messages, phonecalls, text messages, internet message board postings, social networkmessages or comments, or voice over IP communications can be collected.Attachments to these communications can also be collected. Historicalcommunication data and attachment data can also be collected from websearch engines, social networks, e-mail clients, personal web pages,journal articles, web articles, product profile webpages, telephonedirectories, scanned business card data, picture sharing websites, videosharing websites, profile pages, travel websites, on-line retailers, orcustomer relationship management systems.

The collected historical communication data and attachment data caninclude information extracted from communications, information extractedfrom attachments to communications, information extracted from websearches using keywords extracted from communications and attachments tocommunications, information extracted from links in communications orattachments to communications, or information extracted from files andwebsites related to attachments to communications.

Stage 404 generates an attachment profile based on a portion of thecollected historical communication data and attachment data. Theattachment profile can include information about an attachment to acommunication such as file name, file title, file type, author of thefile, icons associated with the file, times or dates when the file wasreceived or sent, the amount of time that has elapsed since the file wasreceived or sent, the times or dates when the file was modified, thetime or date when the file was created, the names of persons who createdthe file, the names of persons who modified the file, the names ofpersons or sent or received the file, names of other persons associatedwith the file, communications to which the file was attached, thesubject of communications to which the file was attached, summaries ofcommunications to which the file was attached, conversation threadscontaining communications to which the file was attached, previousversions of the file, summaries of changes between different versions ofthe file, web information extracted from links or information containedin the file or communications to which the file was attached, or otherfiles associated with the file.

Stage 406 monitors user behavior. For example, a system implementing themethod 400 can track the mouse movements, keyboard strokes, or mouseclicks of a user of the system, or active windows or mouse locationsdisplayed on a monitor or other display device of the system. The user'sbehavior can be monitored to determine if a user has opened, viewed,read, composed, initiated, or received a communication, such as ane-mail. The user's behavior can also be monitored to determine if theuser has performed a search, clicked on a particular item, or selected aparticular item.

Stage 408 determines if the user has made a request (e.g., an implicitrequest) to view the attachment profile. Requests to view an attachmentprofile can include opening an attachment, viewing an attachment,selecting an attachment, opening, selecting or viewing a communicationincluding an attachment, associating an attachment with a communication,hovering a cursor over an attachment, selecting a file that was sent orreceived as an attachment to a communication, listening to a recordedvoice conversation that is associated with an attachment, or viewing oropening a webpage which contains an attachment. For example, the usercan make an implicit request to view an attachment profile by attachinga file associated with the attachment profile to an instant message. Inanother example, the user can make an implicit request to view anattachment profile by selecting an e-mail to which a file is attached.In another example, a user can select a file from a files exchangedlist, such as the files exchanged list 156 from FIG. 1B. The selectionof the file from the files exchanged list can be an implicit request toview an attachment profile for the selected file.

Stage 410 presents the attachment profile. The attachment profiledisplayed can be associated with the file towards whom the request wasdirected. For example, a system implementing the method 400 can displayan attachment profile for a file in response to the user making animplicit request to view an attachment profile for the file, such as byselecting a communication to which the file is attached.

The apparatus, methods, flow diagrams, and structure block diagramsdescribed in this patent document may be implemented in computerprocessing systems including program code comprising programinstructions that are executable by the computer processing system. Someimplementations may also be used. Additionally, the flow diagrams andstructure block diagrams described in this patent document, whichdescribe particular methods and/or corresponding acts in support ofsteps and corresponding functions in support of disclosed structuralmeans, may also be utilized to implement corresponding softwarestructures and algorithms, and equivalents thereof.

This written description sets forth the best mode of the invention andprovides examples to describe the invention and to enable a person ofordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. This writtendescription does not limit the invention to the precise terms set forth.Thus, while the invention has been described in detail with reference tothe examples set forth above, those of ordinary skill in the art mayeffect alterations, modifications and variations to the examples withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

1. A computer-implemented method comprising: Collecting historical dataand communication data relating to an attachment provided in acommunication; Generating an attachment profile containing informationabout the attachment using the historical data and communication data;Monitoring user behavior; Determining if the user has made a request toview the attachment profile; and Presenting the attachment profile inresponse to the request.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein the monitoring step includes tracking mouse movements, mouselocations, keyboard strokes, mouse clicks, or active windows.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the request is implicit.4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the implicitrequest is made by opening the attachment, viewing the attachment,selecting the attachment, opening a communication including theattachment, associating the attachment with a communication, hovering acursor over the attachment, selecting a file that was sent or receivedas an attachment to a communication, listening to a recorded voiceconversation that is associated with the attachment, or viewing oropening a webpage which contains the attachment.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the collecting stepfurther comprises querying multiple disparate information sources toderive the historical data and the communication data.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the information sourcesare selected from the group comprising e-mail clients, web mail, websearch engines, social networks, instant messaging clients, personal webpages, journal articles, web articles, product profile webpages,telephone directories, text message clients, picture sharing websites,video sharing websites, blogs, profile pages, telephone communications,and customer relationship management systems.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: Storing theattachment profile in a database external to a system used in making thecommunication.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, whereinthe presenting step further comprises displaying the attachment profilein an additional panel within an e-mail client, web browser, or instantmessage window.
 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: Identifying one or more identifiers for the attachmentwithin a currently open media item; and inserting a link in proximity toone or more of the identifiers for accessing the attachment profile. 10.The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the one or moreidentifiers are selected from the group comprising a name of theattachment, a title of the attachment, one or more authors of theattachment, a file name, and a document name.
 11. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the informationcontained in the attachment profile is selected from the groupcomprising attachment name, attachment title, file type, author,revision, icons associated with the attachment, date of creation, timeof creation, date of last modification, time of last modification, datesof past modifications, times of past modifications, dates when theattachment was received or sent, times when the attachment was receivedor sent, content statistics, communication statistics, previousversions, summary of changes from previous versions, summaries ofchanges between versions, communications associated with the attachment,summaries of communications associated with the attachment, subjects ofcommunications associated with the attachment, conversation threadsassociated with the attachment, summaries of conversation threadsassociated with the attachment, persons who have modified theattachment, persons who created the attachment, persons listed assenders or recipients of communications associated with the attachment,persons listed as senders or recipients of communications in acommunication thread associated with the attachment, files associatedwith the attachment, information extracted from the attachment,information extracted from communications associated with theattachment, web information extracted from links in the attachment, webinformation extracted from links in communications associated with theattachment, information collected in searches using keywords extractedfrom the attachment, and information collected in searches usingkeywords extracted from communications associated with the attachment.12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determiningstep includes evaluating user interaction with a communicationassociated with a communication system and presenting the attachmentprofile in response to user interaction.
 13. A computer-implementedmethod comprising: Analyzing a communication; Identifying attachments tothe communication including a first attachment; Displaying an attachmentprofile containing information about the first attachment.
 14. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising prior toanalyzing the communication, viewing, selecting, highlighting, orcomposing the communication.
 15. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 13, wherein identifying the first attachment is based on pastbehavior of a user.
 16. A computer-implemented method comprising:Collecting historical data and communication data relating to anattachment associated with a plurality of communications, thecommunications being transmitted over plural communications mediums;Generating an attachment profile containing information about theattachment using the historical data and communication data; Enabling adetermination if a user has made a request to view the attachmentprofile; and Enabling a presentation of the attachment profile inresponse to the request.
 17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16further comprising: Evaluating user interaction with a communicationpresented by a communications medium that includes or relates to theattachment; and Presenting the attachment profile in response to theuser interaction.
 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16,wherein the request is implicit.